Parentadvocates Editor Betsy Combier has been investigating judicial corruption in New York City for nine years, with several other victims of the system. The systemic theft of property and destruction of lives in New York City is led by Chief Administrative Judge Judith Kaye, and her friends, including New York State Administrative Judge Jaqueline Silbermann.

Attorney Eli Uncyk of the lawfirm Uncyk, Borenkind and Nadler sat down with me in 1994 and explained the systemic corruption to me so that I would not pursue malpractice claims against him, his partner Mike Nadler, and his firm, for taking $20,000+ of my money for a case that did not exist, namely a "Derivative Trust" case wherein Kenneth Wasserman, attorney paid by Judge Karla Moskowitz and Guide One Insurance Company, made up a case that he filed in the New York State Supreme Court computers with the help of Administrative Judge Jaqueline Silbermann

Lawyer Kenneth T. Wasserman is currently being paid by New York State Supreme Court Judge Karla Moskowitz to extort money from me. For nine years Mr. Wasserman has called me at home to scream obscenities and that I "better" give him $375,000 or my mother's Will will not be probated in NY Surrogate Court under Renee Roth. He called me for five of those years with Roth's Senior Attorney, Mary Santamarina, on the line as well, also screaming at me and telling me that the Court had already determined that I was a liar and thief. I stayed calm, because I was taping them. Mr. Wasserman was a Member, Committee on Professional and Judicial Ethics, 2000-2003.

Judges On Wrong Side Of The Law
NEW YORK, Aug. 4, 2003
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(AP) After 14 years on the bench, Judge Victor Barron spoke with authority at a sentencing last year when he declared, "No one is above the law."

The sentencing, after all, was his own.

The silver-haired Brooklyn judge was led out of the courtroom in handcuffs to begin a three- to nine-year prison term for taking thousands of dollars in bribes - perhaps the most troubling scene so far in a judicial corruption scandal that one watchdog group calls the worst in the nation.

Since Barron's conviction, authorities have arrested a second Brooklyn judge for allegedly accepting gifts from a corrupt lawyer, kicked a third off the bench for breaking rules on rental property and scrutinized a fourth for his handling of his elderly aunt's life savings.

District Attorney Charles Hynes has launched a grand jury investigation into the cozy relationships between Brooklyn's elected judges, lawyers and politicians in response to allegations that civil judgeships - with annual salaries $125,000 or more - are for sale.

At issue is an arcane system in which voters pick delegates to a judicial nominating convention, but do not pick the judges themselves.

Critics say the system allows political party leaders to steer nominations to judicial candidates who have strong party ties and deep pockets - not sound legal credentials. And because the city's most populous borough is heavily Democratic, that party has had a near lock on selecting judges.

"You have to be connected to get on the bench in Brooklyn," said Alan Fleishman, a reform-minded Democratic district leader. "Are there payoffs? There's always been that buzz in the court community."

Party leaders have denied that the selection process is corrupt, and point out that malfeasance also occurs in states where voters choose judges more directly.

Still, honest judges find the Brooklyn allegations "deeply upsetting," said Judith Kaye, the state's chief judge. "No one is more eager than they to see corruption and misconduct rooted out."

Watchdog groups have called for independent judge-selection panels, nonpartisan elections and other reforms to counter Brooklyn's growing reputation for judicial corruption.

"We haven't seen anything as severe as what's coming out of Brooklyn," said Bert Brandenberg, spokesman for Washington D.C.-based Justice at Stake.

The scandal's latest chapter centers on a mother's despair, a box of 25 Dominican cigars and videotape.

In October, the mother - fearing she had lost a bitter child custody battle before Judge Gerald Garson - was approached by a courthouse con man who told her the judge could be swayed with a bribe, authorities said. She reported the encounter to prosecutors, who soon learned the man was working with a lawyer to solicit bribes of up to $10,000.

After another judge authorized the use of video eavesdropping, investigators secretly recorded the lawyer meeting Garson in his chambers and plying him with the cigars and cash, a criminal complaint said. The lawyer also was overheard in separate conversations bragging that he had bought the judge meals and loaned him money in exchange for favors.

Confronted with the tapes, Garson told investigators that judge nominations could be bought for $50,000 - and the wider inquiry was launched.

Garson, 70, has pleaded not guilty to a charge of receiving reward for official misconduct. His lawyers have accused Hynes of inflating a possible ethical violation into a felony case.

True to the clannish nature of Brooklyn's judicial and political circles, both Garson's cousin, Michael, and his wife, Robin, also are on the bench - and in the sights of investigators.

Michael Garson, 59, has faced allegations that he looted his 92-year-old aunt's bank accounts to cover stock losses. About $500,000 is unaccounted for since 1997, when the aunt granted him power of attorney. No charges have been brought.

Investigators also have reviewed financial records for 49-year-old Robin Garson's successful campaign for a civil court seat, but have made no accusations of wrongdoing.

In May, an appeals court removed another Brooklyn judge, Reynold Mason, after finding that he illegally sublet his rent-stabilized apartment to his brother-in-law and used the money to pay child support.

Then there was Barron, 61, who admitted accepting $18,000 in cash in his chambers to approve a multimillion-dollar civil settlement. A Westchester County judge assigned to the case told him at sentencing that he had "made a joke out of (Brooklyn) and that's terrible."

By Tom Hays © MMIII The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Effective Judicial Campaign Conduct Committee Handbook

Judicial Campaign Ethics Center

Code of Conduct for United States Judges

Links to Judicial Ethics Advisory Committees

American Legal Ethics Library

Informal Opinion 91-2

Jurisdiction of Committees of the Judicial Conference of the United States

The Case of Roberto A. Rivera-Soto, New Jersey Supreme Court Justice, Ethically Compromised

Judicial Conduct Reporter